Tag Archives: Remotes

With Motorola’s R331 rechargeable remote you’ll never have to search for replacement batteries, or even the remote itself, ever again. It comes with a dock for charging its internal battery, so every once in a while you just need to remember to use it to keep the remote working. And if your remote has gone MIA in the living room or wherever you use it, the dock has an audible find function making it easy to locate as long as it hasn’t left your home. The R331 is designed to be a replacement for the standard remote included with Motorola’s VIP Set-top box.

Disappointingly, while I’m convinced that Bang & Olufsen’s Beo6 remote was inspired by those fat-bottomoed Weebles children’s toys that always remain standing, I’m pretty sure it doesn’t share the same tip-proof qualities. In fact I’m not even sure what the company was thinking when they created this remote which features a touchscreen LCD display perched atop an aluminum ball with its own complement of hardware buttons, including a scrolling volume wheel. It’s of course designed to play nice with Bang & Olufsen’s own AV gear including wifi support, the ability create custom macros and everything else you’d expect from a high-end remote. And as for pricing, it’s not flaunted on their website but you can assume it’s expensive enough to keep Bang & Olufsen fans feeling elite.

Well this is kind of sad, but not completely surprising either. At one point the Philips Pronto line was the king of the heap when it came to universal remotes, even going as far as to allow users to create their own custom buttons on some of the higher-end models. But ‘higher-end’ I think was the biggest issue since some of those models had price tags of over $1,000. For home theater enthusiasts it might have been worth it, but that’s a small, niche market. And while there were cheaper models in the Pronto line, there’s been some tough competition recently from both Logitech and even add-ons that turn the iPhone into a robust universal remote.

Apparently back in December of 2009 Philips relocated some of its remote control operations from Belgium to Asia, and at the same time had started to “investigate alternative strategic options for the Pronto business” since they felt the line no longer fit the company’s strategy. And after not being able to find a buyer for the line, Philips has finally confirmed that it will be unfortunately discontinued. I guess Christmas has come early this year for Logitech.

In this week’s episode of ‘I Can’t Believe They Invented It!’ we bring you the Pop-up Microlite which is really nothing more than an adhesive LED light designed to illuminate the keys on an old-timey TV remote that doesn’t have built-in backlighting. Now you might be shaking your head wondering who would want such a thing, but the company behind the product, Microlite Tech, has done their research and apparently there’s quite a market for the device. Taken from their press release:

There are an estimated 500 million remote controls in the U.S. with an estimated 450 million of those having no backlighting capabilities. However, surveys show that as many as 90% of people enjoy watching television or movies in the dark.

90%!! I had no idea, and quite frankly, I’m shocked! But there’s no need to be too alarmed because the problem is already solved. Now thankfully when I watch TV in the dark I actually have the TV on, so the glow is more than bright enough for me to see the buttons on my remote. But those of you who keep their brightness set at 1 will be happy to know the Microlite will be available from Amazon some time in October for a mere $9.99.

The last couple of iPhone remote solutions we brought you have managed to either reduce the size of the extra hardware to an easy to deal with dongle, or removed the need for anything to be attached to the iPhone altogether thanks to Bluetooth. Sadly that’s not the case with the VooMote ONE from a German company called zero1.tv.

To say the sled-type dock that adds IR functionality to the iPhone or iPod Touch has a lot of ‘junk in the trunk’ is an understatement. On the plus side it allows the device to be used in the proper upright orientation (not upside down) it’s able to learn IR codes for devices not included in its database and you’re still able to place and receive calls, but the added bulk down where the sled attaches to the dock connector is a bit much. It’s supposed to ship in December, and even though no pricing info has been announced, something tells me it’s not going to be cheaper than the My TV Remote’s $9.99 price tag.

Last October we had a brief hands-on with what I believe was the original version of this EFO HTPC remote that combines a touch pad with a compact Blackberry-esque keypad in a remarkably light package. But here we are less than a year later and the third generation of this remote has already been unveiled. Besides the obvious slightly more ergonomic curved layout of the keys, the EFO iPazzPort now includes a laser pointer making it more useful in the world of corporate presentations, F1 to F12 function keys, multimedia playback keys including play, pause, next track etc. and a smaller USB dongle. The original version was around $40 but I believe generation 3 is a bit more at $45, but still, a surprisingly useful little device for the price.

I like the idea of using an iPhone or an iPod Touch as a universal remote, but I’m not so crazy about having to stick it in a case, or attach some cumbersome dongle to give it IR functionality. So I really like the solution that GEAR4 has come up with for their UnityRemote. Instead of some accessory you have to attach to your device, a downloadable app talks to a separate Bluetooth controlled receiver that uses 5 infrared emitters to blast out commands in 360 degrees. That way you don’t have to worry about pointing your iPhone or iPod Touch in the right direction either. It’s not going to be available until October according to the GEAR4 website, so there’s not a lot of details available at the moment, but according to The Gadgeteer it will sell for $99. That’s pretty much $90 more than other options like the My TV Remote, so you’ll have to decide if the convenience is worth the extra coin.

It’s definitely not the first universal remote accessory for the iPhone, but with a price tag of just $9.99 for the hardware and a free application, it’s safe to say it will probably be the first one a lot of people actually buy. The IR emitter can only be purchased through Ryz Media’s My TV Remote application, but it’s a free download that will probably change the way you use a universal remote.

Instead of a cacophony of on-screen function buttons, the app uses a program guide approach that lets you browse through channels and listings like you were scanning through your music collection. It’s also got social media connectivity like Facebook integration allowing you to see recommendations or what your friends are currently watching. Setup also appears to be a breeze, though at the moment the app is limited to watching TV, so controlling your other AV gear is hopefully just a software update away. And unless this is some kind of scam I’m not seeing, with a $10 price tag it’s pretty much an impulse buy.

Finally realizing that the majority of universal remotes sold at big box electronic stores aren’t the $300+ variety, Logitech has launched the Harmony 300, which ditches the LCD display, but gains a more reasonable price point of around $49.99. And like its more elaborate siblings, the Harmony 300 is easy to program. All you need to do is hook it up to your PC, visit the MyHarmony website (which for some reason redirects to www.iis.net at the moment) and replacing up to 4 other remotes is as easy as telling the site which devices you’re using. Their online database covers over 225,000 devices from over 5,000 brands, and since that list is growing every day, there’s a good chance your equipment is covered.

And even though it is lacking the LCD display that makes the more expensive models in the Harmony line highly customizable, the 300 still has a set of programmable buttons for quickly accessing your favorite channels or other custom functions. The Harmony 300 is expected to be available in early April in the U.S. and Europe.

OhGizmo! is a frequently updated blog that focuses on covering items that will appeal to a very specific and often very passionate audience: the geek. Aside from the fare of innovative consumer electronic products, the reader can expect to find news about geek culture, absurd inventions, awe inspiring technology, and an ever growing assortment of articles that we like to think fit within our view of what we’re calling the Geek Lifestyle.